Mark Haddon | |
---|---|
Born | Northampton, Northamptonshire, England | 26 September 1962
Occupation | Writer, illustrator |
Nationality | English |
Education | MA, English Literature |
Alma mater | Merton College, Oxford Uppingham School Spratton Hall School |
Period | 1987–present |
Genre | Novels, children's literature, poetry, screenplays, radio drama |
Notable awards |
|
Spouse | Sos Eltis |
Children | 2 |
Website | |
markhaddon |
Mark Haddon (born 26 September 1962) is an English novelist, best known for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003). He won the Whitbread Award, the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, the Guardian Prize, and a Commonwealth Writers Prize for his work.
In 2003, Haddon won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award—in the Novels rather than Children's Books category—for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time . He also won the Commonwealth Writers Prize in the Best First Book category, as The Curious Incident was considered his first book written for adults. [1] Despite being categorized as an adult book for some awards, Haddon also won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize in 2003 for the book. [2] The book was furthermore long-listed for the 2003 Man Booker Prize, [3] and became a long-running stage play.
The Curious Incident is written from the perspective of an autistic 15-year-old boy, Christopher John Francis Boone. In an interview at Powells.com, Haddon claimed that this was the first book that he wrote intentionally for an adult audience; he was surprised when his publisher suggested marketing it to both adult and child audiences (it has been very successful with adults and children alike). [1] However, it has also received criticism from autistic readers for its 'depressing' depiction of Christopher, the autistic protagonist. [4]
His short story "The Pier Falls" was longlisted for the 2015 Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Short Story Award, the richest prize in the world for a single short story. [5] He published a collection of short stories inspired by classical mythology called Dogs and Monsters in 2024. [6]
In 2023, he turned down an OBE for his services to literature, saying: 'I would feel uneasy accepting an honour which presumes an uncritical acceptance of the British Empire as a good thing.' [7]
Haddon is a vegetarian. He describes himself as a "hard-line atheist". [8] [9] In 2019, a heart bypass followed by Long Covid left him with brain fog that made him unable to read or write. He spoke to The Guardian in 2024 about his 5-year-long process of partial recovery, saying that although he still couldn't read properly, the fog was 'starting to thin a little.' [10]
Haddon lives in Oxford with his wife Sos Eltis, a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford, and their two sons. [8]
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2003.
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The Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award was a literary award that annual recognised one fiction book written for children or young adults and published in the United Kingdom. It was conferred upon the author of the book by The Guardian newspaper, which established it in 1965 and inaugurated it in 1967. It was a lifetime award in that previous winners were not eligible. At least from 2000 the prize was £1,500. The prize was apparently discontinued after 2016, though no formal announcement appears to have been made.
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. Its title refers to an observation by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in the 1892 short story "The Adventure of Silver Blaze". Haddon and The Curious Incident won the Whitbread Book Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book, and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Unusually, it was published simultaneously in separate editions for adults and children.
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a play by Simon Stephens based on the novel of the same name by Mark Haddon. During its premiere run, the play tied the record for winning the most Olivier Awards (seven), including Best New Play at the 2013 ceremony. The play is a National Theatre Production, in association with Frantic Assembly, who specialised in the movement direction.
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